When Scents Don't Make Sense
by Serulium
Summary: Chat has always smelled a bit funny, but now that Marinette is getting to spend a little more time with Adrien, there are some things she can't help but notice. As she starts to get to know Chat better as well, more and more similarities keep cropping up.
1. Chapter 1

Thank you all for clicking on my story! I hope I can live up to your expectations. Special thanks to klemira for her ASTOUNDING Beta work. This first chapter simply wouldn't be what it is today without her! And the quality of my writing has improved greatly with her help. Thank you!

I have had most of this story for almost a year now. I now know that if I don't start publishing it before the new season comes out, I'm just never going to have the guts to do so. So, before I can think better of it, here is the first chapter of _When Scents Don't Make Sense!_

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When Scents Don't Make Sense

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Chapter 1-

Ladybug vaulted from roof to roof, her feet barely touching shingles before she bounded off again. The sun hung lazily in the sky, making its slow descent towards the horizon. It wouldn't be long before night fell.

Thoughts of her garden on her rooftop balcony swirled in her mind. The little green stems poking out of her armada of egg cartons were finally big enough. She would need to replant them soon, maybe tonight. Ladybug smiled to herself as she moved above Paris.

A sudden shout of "My Lady!" pulled her sharply back to the present, her foot skittered on the clay tile beneath her. Unable to stop her momentum in time, her body pitched over the edge of the roof. Mid-fall, she effortlessly cast her yo-yo up to a chimney, and in one swing, she looped around back to the roof, only to land in Chat's conveniently waiting arms.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for me already?" Chat looked down and gave her a triumphant smirk just as a smell powerful enough to drop flies washed over her.

Ladybug immediately clamped a hand over her nose as she shoved the other straight into Chat's face, a very efficient distraction and effectively breaking his bridal hold on her. She skipped out of range before he could get his bearings, fanning the air. "Not a chance with you smelling like _that."_ Her voice came out nasally with her blocked nose.

Chat fidgeted in place, glancing between her and his feet. "Is it really that bad?"

"It's a _repellent!_ Jeez, you really **stink**! You always smell funny, but this is ridiculous. When was the last time you showered?" She inched farther away to emphasis her point.

"I _always_ smell funny?" Chat's eyes went wide, "But I thought I hid it pretty well."

"Well, I thought you just didn't like to shower or something, so I never brought it up." She shrugged.

"I bathe everyday, my Lady." Chat replied hotly, looking like he wanted to stamp his foot. She could see a bit of red creeping out from under his mask. "It's not my fault I smell like this."

"Then who's fault is it?"

"My kwami's!" He finally exploded, throwing his arms in the air.

Ladybug furrowed her eyebrows. "You're _kwami_ doesn't bathe?" Now that made no sense.

"What- No! Hygiene _isn't_ the issue." Chat actually stamped his foot this time.

"Then what stinks?" She challenged, gesturing with her free hand.

"Cheese!"

"Huh?" Ladybug's mouth popped open in surprise. She stared blankly at Chat.

Chat sagged like a popped balloon, and sighed, "Yes, _cheese._ My kwami will eat nothing but Camembert. And it reeks. I hate it. I hate it more than anything, but I don't have a choice." Chat looked off to the side in embarrassment.

She snorted, but with her nose still clutched, it came out sounding strangled. "Really?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. "Who would want to eat that? It just smells like rotting eggs and sweaty feet to me."

"That's what I tell him! But he just says," Chat put both hands behind his back and adopted a haughty, lilting voice, that reminded Ladybug of Cloe's butler. "I don't expect you to understand the subtle nuances of the refined palate required to properly appreciate the finery that is Camembert. The aroma adds to its appeal, making this cheese more than a food; it is a work of art!" He ended his spiel with an exaggerated arm flourish, before returning to his own voice. "Because of his 'refined palate,'" he put up air quotes, "he won't eat anything but the stinkiest of cheeses, so I have to carry the stuff around everywhere. I can only hide the stink if people don't get too close!" He threw his arms up before crossing them in front of his chest in annoyance.

"Okay. So why do you smell so much worse today?"

He gave her tortured expression. "He found my emergency stash and ate the entire thing right before I got here."

"How much was that?"

"Five. Full. Wheels!" Chat's voice rose again as he continued, "How am I supposed to hide that much stink?! I tried laundry detergent, air fresheners, even cologne, but nothing worked! And now I stink worst of all in front of the one person I hoped wouldn't notice." Chat hid behind a gloved hand.

A snicker bubbled up in Ladybug's throat before she could suppress it. Chat was _sulking._ His outburst was unlike anything she had seen from him before. It was so out of character for the perpetually energetic and smug Chat Noir that she couldn't even try to hide her amusement.

"It's not funny," Chat grumbled glaring at the gravel roof beneath his boots. He kicked a small pebble, his face still half hidden.

"Really, Chat?" She smirked. This was hilarious.

"You don't get it. If people get too close, I have to tell them that I love cheese!" His hands knotted and clenched at his sides.

"So?" She raised an eyebrow.

"My best friend always gives me his cheese sticks and stuff, and I have to eat it! It's torture, and that's just _one_ person! I _hate_ cheese!" Chat turned and stalked to the edge of the roof to sit down and sulk.

She couldn't help it anymore. He was acting so childish, and it was just so _ridiculous_! Abandoning all attempts at containing it, Ladybug allowed her laughter to roll over the skyline, letting the hilarity wrack through her body.

"Oh, ha-ha," Chat grumbled. Ladybug attempted to sober up at his sardonic tone.

As funny as it was, Chat had a point. She would absolutely hate having to smell like cheese all the time, especially stinky cheese. It's a wonder he survived as long as he had; she could barely even handle being near him right now. As she smothered the last of her giggles, she took a deep breath and dove into the pungent cloud hanging around Chat. With effort, she managed to avoid gagging or clutching at her nose as she moved to sit down next to Mr. Droopy-Ears.

Dropping down next to him, Ladybug sat in companionable silence, waiting for him to let off steam on his own. He would tell her when he was ready. Ladybug focused on breathing through her mouth for several minutes, before her nose became bearably desensitized to the Chat's particular odor.

Ladybug was admiring the view of Paris sprawling out in front of her, when she wondered at how lucky she was she came to be here, on a rooftop, with an amazing friend at her side, even if he was little smelly. He was always there for her when she needed him, whether it be in the thick of an akuma attack or just sitting on a rooftop together. She couldn't ask for a better partner, so she'll take him, smell and all, gladly.

A few minutes later, Ladybug caught a glimpse of Chat with a smile on his face, contentedly basking in the sun's glow with his eyes closed. A light breeze tugged at her bangs, perfectly balancing out the gentle heat. The distant sounds of the bustling city echoed from below. She could hear the screech of playing children in some park to her left.

Chat took in a deep breath before he spoke, "I think it's going to rain tonight."

Ladybug laid back against the roof, considering the azure sky. "Really? I thought the rain would be over by now" she hummed. There wasn't anything on the forecast, but she would take Chat's word over the local news any day. "How can you always tell?"

He copied her and flopped back onto the roof watching the only wisp of a cloud float by. "I don't really know exactly, but my ears feel weird whenever a storm is coming."

"Which ones?"

" _My_ ears, thank you very much," he turned pointing to his human ear. "Sort of like when you get on a plane and your ears pop."

"Good to know." Despite sounding nonchalant, Ladybug was grateful for her partner's uncanny weather sense. She definitely wouldn't replant her sprouts tonight. They wouldn't survive a downpour if she didn't take them inside. Her thoughts returned to her balcony and where she should put the plants for the night. Her desk? No, she needed it for homework she had to finish...

The sun had drifted lower in the sky, a few gossamer threads of clouds drifting overhead, when Chat broke the silence a second time. "What does your kwami eat?"

"Sweets," Ladybug chirped, sitting up again. "She likes cookies best." She swung her feet back and forth as she fondly thought about the little red squish-ball she loved.

"Lucky," Chat sighed.

"What did you expect? I _am_ Lady Luck after all." She swept her hair back in a joking imitation of Chloe but couldn't hide her smile. "It's in the title."

"No fair," he whined good-naturedly. "You get all the perks. Why can't I get any of that?"

"Because you're annoying and smell like cheese."

"Hey!" He shoved her shoulder playfully. " _I_ don't smell, it's my kwami that smells, and I guess, it just gets stronger when I transform."

"Really?" Ladybug's brows scrunched up in thought. "I never noticed anything like that when my kwami eats a lot of cookies."

Chat scooted closer with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Perhaps we should test that theory?" He waggled his eyebrows and offered a cheeky grin as he leaned in.

 _Aaaaaaaaand_ the regular Chat was back.

Oh well, the moment had been nice while it lasted, but this was definitely her cue. "Not a chance Tom Cat." Ladybug chided, she flicked his forehead away and stood, squinting at the sun's position above the horizon. "Anyway, if it's going to rain soon, we should call it a day." Chat opened his mouth to protest, but she plowed on over him. "There is something I need to do before it starts raining, and," she pointedly looked at sun nearing the horizon, "I'm running low on daylight."

A shadow fell on his face, and his shoulders sagged before Chat shook it off and stood. He grinned, flourishing a bow, "Nonsense. Sunshine follows _you,_ my Lady."

Unsurprisingly, his scent wasn't the only thing that reeked. With a final roll of her eyes, she cast her yo-yo westward and swung into the distance. Just before he was completely out of sight, she saw his solitary form on the rooftop watching her go. She smiled. He really was a great friend. Only when she was well out of Chat's sight did she divert south to head home.

As always, Chat had been right. Dark, heavy clouds rolled in shortly after the sun disappeared. They dumped their entire load onto the unsuspecting city below. However, one girl fell asleep easily, comforted by the thrum of raindrops on her roof and the relief that all her plants were safely stowed inside. ' _Thank you Chat.'_

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Thank you so much for reading it this far! Please let me know if you liked it. I'm doing the best I can, and every little bit of encouragement helps. Even just one word helps. I have a plan for this story, but actually finishing the writing for them is going to be hard. As a math person, I will have struggles, but I plan to finish this story to the end no matter what!

 **Bring on the flames!** I want to get better as a writer, so any criticism is welcome. I can't fix an error I don't know exists. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make this story the best it can be. Thank you so much for reading!


	2. Cats and Cockatiels

I'm back from the dead! Please **BRING ON THE FLAMES**! I want to become a better writer, so I appreciate any constructive cridisism you can provide. Am I rambling? Should I be more concise? Did I misspell anything? Anyway, I have a plan for the rest of this story, so I hope you will ride out this storm with me. Enjoy!

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The next morning, the sun dawned in pastel hues to a city slick with rainwater. Bundled in her thick, pink coat, Marinette stretched in the early morning drizzle. It was going to be a beautiful day once the sky cleared, and she'd finished all her homework on time. A sharp wind bit at her face splattering her with water. She shivered. With one final check to make sure she had everything, Marinette headed to school.

When the sun finally reared its head in the sky, the entire city looked like an over saturated postcard, the water making the landscape sparkle.

By the time patrol rolled around, the sky turned into beautiful blue, framed by white cotton balls now empty of their burden from the night before. Most of the surface water burned off, but both she and Chat had to watch their step on the damp tiles.

At least he smelled better. The scent of cheese, still clung around him like a lost puppy, but it was within a bearable range. What wasn't within a bearable range was Chat's inflated head. Sure he had been right about the rain… again, but there were only so many ways he could foretell a future together with her, and how their love would be the rainbow, yaddy yadda yuck. Ugh.

It's a wonder her eyes didn't get lodged in the back of her skull from rolling them.

Eventually, she just used the unsafe conditions as an excuse to escape patrol early. There was only so much ego she could take. Anyway, it was finally clear and dry enough for something else that she needed to do.

An hour later, Marinette had her armada of egg cartons set along the edge of her balcony railing. The sprouts stood at attention as if waiting to march on her command. They were almost entirely composed of spices, greens, and the like. Her parents loved using them, her mom to cook, and her dad occasionally in special bakery orders, so she tried to give them as much as she could. She had a few of her favorite flowers on the side as well. The array of different scents overlapped the air, making it crisp with the smell of growing. Stacked next to the formation, scattered variously sized clay pots and saucers and a huge bag of dark soil on the side.

She had just started filling a five-gallon bucket with the tap when she spotted a black form hopping aimlessly from roof to roof. Chat. She watched, curious. 'What is he doing all the way out here? Patrol ended forever ago.' She wondered. He clearly wasn't going anywhere specific. His path meandered this way and that, dancing around the occasional puddles like a bizarre game of hopscotch. Before long she could make out his baton, spinning casually in one hand.

Just then Marinette realized how heavy the bucket was getting. Shutting the faucet, she hauled the bucket to her workstation. The water sloshed precariously from side to side with every step. As she set it down, the overly full bucket slipped through her slick fingers. She flinched at the resounding thwack of bucket against the brick balcony, followed by the slap of some water that sloshed over. She froze hoping Chat hadn't heard, but moments later, Chat's boots clanked onto the railing behind her. She held back a groan. There was no way she would finish her replanting now.

"Hellooooo Princess!" He sang, "How are you doing on this fine day?"

She plastered on a big smile before she turned around. "Oh! I am doing just wonderful!" she cheered with exaggerated hand waving. 'Yeah, this is weird,' she thought, 'Again…'

Balanced perfectly on the thin metal strip, Chat flexed his muscles as if posing for a camera. "I guess it is hard to not be when you get a visit from one of Paris's finest." Cue internal eye roll.

"It's sooooo nice to see you again too," She eased up on the 'Oh my god! Yay! A superhero is talking to me!' mode. Man was that awkward to keep up. She continued, "But what are you doing here, Chat? Isn't your patrol usually over by now?"

He paused for a moment before quirking an eyebrow at her. "How'd you know?"

"The Ladyblog." Marinette Duh'ed. 'Thank you Alya.' Through sightings, Alya had deduced a rough schedule of when the patrols usually took place, aka the perfect excuse for knowing to much about anything.

"Oh yeah…" He chuckled.

"Soooooo, what are you doing here?" Marinette prompted again, dropping the fangirl act completely as she dunked her open spray bottle in the bucket. Bubbles gurgled as it filled.

"Well, I saw you here as I was passing by, and I thought a lovely girl such as yourself might need a little company, especially on such a lovely day."

She rolled eyes. "Are you sure it's me that needs the company?" She asked as she screwed on the cap, hoping Chat would get the hint. She loved Chat, but his antics tended to exhaust her, and she had already had her fill of Chat for the day.

His obnoxious smile didn't falter, but his eyes tightened and an edge crept into his voice, "So, would that be a no?" If she had been someone else, anyone else, she wouldn't have noticed. But she wasn't and she did notice something dark clouding his eyes that hadn't been there during patrol.

"You can stay," was out of her mouth before she realized what she had said. She wanted to groan at herself. There goes any chance of finishing today. Still she couldn't help but smile in relief when his eyes brightened again, and she knew she wouldn't regret the decision. "But, still, what are you doing out here?" She set her spray bottle down and studied her sprouts.

He sat along the railing, tilting his head slightly, "I'm bored."

"I couldn't tell." She decided on the basil and tugged on carton. She needed to start now or nothing would get done.

"Sooooo, what are you doing?"

"Not that I'm not glad to see you, but I know you've got a life outside of Chat Noir. Won't your family worry?"

She glanced up just in time to see him turn away, his shoulders tense. "Nah, they won't notice."

Marinette's eyes widened, and she stopped short, frozen. 'That voice…' She recognized it. Even though he tried to keep his tone light, she could hear a little shift in the back of his throat, the way it had under the influence of Dark Cupid. She clearly remembered him screaming and shouting his loathing and attacking her, but she'd never heard it again until now.

"They think I'm in my room, so I'm covered," he continued, unaware. Marinette was glad he couldn't see her face. "I do this all the time."

A chill raced up her spine.

The words escaped her before she could real them in. "Don't you want to go home?" she breathed. She clapped a hand over her mouth. They weren't supposed to know anything about each other's personal lives, and here she was diving right in.

Clearly something about his family was making him upset. Were they fighting? Was he mad at them? But no, he said he did this all the time. Could that mean-?

She shut down that train mid-thought. No. She mustn't think about Chat's homelife. She shouldn't be wondering about his life outside the mask at all. That could lead to conclusions, and conclusions were dangerous. But for the first time, she really felt the void left by their secrecy, wanting to know more about the person she spend almost every day with.

"Hmmmmm?" Chat swung his foot lazily, his eyes looking out on Paris.

"Nothing!" Thank the heavens he hadn't heard her.

But why was this happening now? He never seemed even the slightest bit down or gloomy ever. He could be tossed through a dozen buildings and still come out with that idiotic grin on his face. It always seemed like he'd never had a bad day in his life. His barely perceptible ill mood now was the the first evidence she had to the contrary.

He must have had bad days, and from the sound of it, many times. Why hadn't she noticed before? Her eyebrows furrowed. Was she that bad of a friend? She shook her head. No. She definitely would have noticed.

The silence pressed on her lungs making it hard to breath as she watched Chat swing one leg off the railing.

Schooling her features into a neutral expression that Marinette was supposed to have, she considered the boy before her.

He still looked wistfully out over the mass of bright buildings that was Paris, a shadow swirling behind his eyes. This had gone on long enough. Without thinking, she grabbed her spray bottle and sprayed him in the face.

Chat shrieked in surprise as he tipped over the railing, catching himself at the last moment. Coughing and spluttering against the water, Chat hauled himself back up.

Marinette started packing dirt into the pot as if nothing happened.

"What was that for?!" he demanded, smearing sopping clumps of yellow from his eyes, trying to glare at her.

"Some gentleman you are. Are you going to sit there all night, or are you going to help me with these?" She gestured to the numerous sprout laden egg cartons with a mischievous grin of her own.

He stared. After a heartbeat, a grin slowly split face. He excitedly launched off the railing to kneel next to Marinette nearly knocking her over. "Okay, what do I do?"

"First things first, cool it, or you'll kill my plants."

"Hehe!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry."

Marinette crossed her arms. "No you're not." She tried to stay serious. When a smile threatened to break through, she rolled up her sleeve and continued, "Now watch what I do." Pulling the carton filled with basil toward her again, she showed him, "This is basil."

He leaned in, examining the green. "Why are there different leaves on the bottom than on the top?"

She got a whiff as he leaned in a little too close. Unable to resist the temptation, "Peeyoo!" She elbowed his shoulder, knocking him away. "What is that smell?" She waved a hand in front of her face. In her defense, he deserved it. He did stink. She grinned at his irked expression at being caught on stinky charges twice in as many days, but it worked. The final dregs of whatever had him in a funk finally left his eyes.

"Hey!" He retorted. "I'll have you know that what you are smelling doesn't have anything to do with hygiene. It's-"

She did not need this conversation all over again. She interrupted with a wave of her hand. "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever. Just sit over there so you can watch me." she commanded, gesturing to the empty space across from her pot.

He grumbled good naturedly as he sat down cross legged, returning his attention to the seedlings she still held. "So why are there different leaves?"

Rolling her eyes, she pointed to the tiny flat leaves on the bottom. "See how only these two are different?" He nodded. "These are the leaves the seed initially sprouts with." She stated. That was more than enough explanation for most people. Apparently Chat wasn't most people.

"Okay, so why does it sprout with these leaves before sprouting different ones?"

Marinette sighed and thought, 'Curious cat. This is going to be a long day.' She continued with her explanation, "At that point in time, the sprout is relying on the stored nutrients in the seed itself, which it doesn't have much of. It needs a way to produce its own nutrients as soon as possible, so it's first leaves are extremely simple and easy to make. Once it has those and some roots, it can start making the more complicated leaves you and I know as basil, as you can see up here." She pointed.

"Oooooooooohhhh. That makes sense." He examined the leaves more closely, fascinated. "Do all plants do that?"

'Yup. Definitely a loooooong day.'

. . . . . . .

When he wasn't turning everything into a pun, Chat turned out to be a decent gardener. Marinette had expected him to get bored quickly, but to her surprise, he couldn't get enough. He was gentle with the fragile stems and question after question rolled off his tongue. Everything fascinated him, from the reason they partially covered holes in the pots with a pebble to why they needed to rip the roots slightly before replanting.

Marinette was sure she could have written an encyclopedia on gardening with all the questions she answered, and she came up with a few tips on how to deal with hyperactive cats and their antics.

Tip #1: Answer all questions as fully as you can the first time, or the cat WILL ask even more questions.

Tip #2: Employ a spray bottle when the cat decides that a pun is an acceptable response.

Warning: this may also make the cat liable to return fire with bits of extra soil and declarations of war.

Tip #3: Never back down from a challenge when the dignity of your plants is at stake. To shield their innocent souls from as many terrible puns as possible, accept the declaration of war and fight to the death.

Tip #4: Make sure the cat is covered in more water and soil than you before proclaiming victory and returning to what you were doing in the first place.

Tip #5: If you wish to remain clean, don't add a cat to gardening.

It wasn't long before Marinette was extremely glad she had changed into an old T-shirt and jeans before Chat had shown up. They were both absolutely covered in debris, but they wore matching grins when they sat back down.

They continued for a time without any problems until...

"Why does mint need to be kept away from all other plants?"

"Because mint has a tendency to take over, roots creeping through the soil and pushing all the other plants out. That's why some people plant it into the ground still in the pot, so its roots can't spread." Marinette explained.

"Really?" Chat had this look on his face. It was kind of cute actually. It reminded Marinette of Mannon when Alya claimed she was a unicorn princess from the land of Rispa. He destroyed the moment spectacularly, "So they do that to keep all the other plants in mint condition, right?"

Marinette's palm found her face faster than a bee changes direction. No. Not. Again.

"Oh come on. You gotta admit that one was pretty good."

"Not on your life." She said without taking her palm off her face.

Chat grinned, flashing his perfect teeth, "Good! Then I have eight chances left!"

She groaned and sprayed him in the face again. "No! Bad kitty!"

What she didn't expect, was for Chat's body to go completely rigid, face blank as water dribbled down his forehead.

"Uh… Chat?" He didn't move. "Are you okay?" Nothing. She tugged his arm. "Chat?!"

"I'm mystified."

Tip #6: In the case the spray bottle doesn't deter further punning, find other ammunition.

"Oh! You!" That last one called for retribution. Marinette grabbed a handful of soil and cocked her arm.

Chat tried to duck away, but was too slow. Dirt slapped it into his face, and stuck. He tried to wipe it away, but instead of coming off, it smeared into mud and streaked up into his hair, gelling up the strands like a crest of a cockatiel.

Marinette stared for a moment, then doubled over in laughter. Chat pulled out the phone on his baton to use the camera as a mirror. Seeing his new plumage, Chat laughed too nabbing a few selfies. His expressions made Marinette laugh even harder until they both couldn't get up.

When their bout of giggles died down, Chat stared at Marinette with an odd expression.

"What?" she asked, still smiling.

"Nothing." He smiled softly at her, "It's just, you're not as shy as I thought you'd be."

Marinette froze 'Woops…'

"Oh. Uh..." She looked down and wrung her hands nervously. How could she have forgotten? He barely knows Marinette. She shouldn't have shoved mud in his face. Normally she would be mortified to even think about doing something so brazen to anyone, let alone someone she supposedly barely knows. Shoving mud was something Ladybug would do, not Marinette. 'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.'

"Really?" She tried with a shaky chuckle.

Sensing her discomfort, he quickly added, "Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm just a little surprised. It's a good thing!" mistaking her discomfort for offence.

Marinette smiled both in relief and to let Chat know that she hadn't been offended.

She needed to watch herself or she might inadvertently plaster a billboard saying "Ladybug" on her forehead. She'd already caught herself almost calling him "Minou" a few times. That would be a disaster.

"It's nice to know my Princess isn't ashamed to speak her mind to anyone," He grinned at her, "Even one of Paris's finest." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Anyone huh?" She smiled ruefully as her mind conjured a picture of Adrien. "I don't know about that." A slight blush crept into her cheeks. She picked up a rosemary sprout to avoid looking at Chat, turning it over. "Sometimes I can't even form full sentences or even words around certain people."

"Why?" Marinette heard him lean forward, but she didn't look up.

"Oh, I don't know..." 'Maybe because Adrien is the most perfect person on the planet in every way.' She hoped Chat couldn't see how red her face was getting. "I guess I get really nervous around people who I want to become better friends with, but don't know how?" She fiddled with the delicate leaves, then she just set the plant down before she damaged it.

Chat hummed in thought for moment. "But not with me?" Marinette could tell he had his head cocked to the side without looking. He always did when he was curious.

She shoveled soil into a small pot then molded a well with her fingertips. "No." Her voice came out thoughtful. She hoped that what she said next wouldn't give too much away. "For whatever reason, it feels like we're already friends."

She glanced up at him through her lashes to gauge his reaction, before fully looking up. Chat was positively beaming. "That sounds nice."

Marinette coughed once. She hoped she wasn't going to regret what she did next.

"Then that's what we'll be." Marinette beamed back, though a little more reserved. "Friends." The moment ended much too quickly, but she couldn't help the snickers when she caught sight Chat's muddy hair. "But first you need to do something about your hair."

Chat glance up at his hair, "Oh yeah. Forgot about that." Chat got up and looked around. When his eyes landed on the bucket, and walked over. He stood in front of it for a moment before he looked at her with a Cheshire grin.

'Oh no.'

The he plunged his whole head straight into the bucket.

Marinette gaped. "What are you doing?!"

Chat shook his head vigorously under the water before pulling it out. Water poured down his head like a waterfall, drenching him completely. "Now you can look at me with a straight face." Every strand of his incredibly blond hair plastered flat against his head and covered his eyes like a curtain.

She doubled over again. "Chat, you big goof! That just makes it harder to look at you with a straight face!"

"Too late, you're stuck with this goof now!" His teeth flashed wide. "Friend."

Marinette shook her head in disbelief. "Yeah, I suppose I walked right into that one." Dusting herself off as best as she could, Marinette made her way to the hatch, throwing a "stay there" over her shoulder.

A few moments later, she climbed back up holding a fluffy, blue towel. She tossed it to him saying, "Here."

He expertly caught it with one hand. "Thank you princess! Though it seems like you're the one giving me the royal treatment." He started rubbing the towel over his shaggy head.

"Oh please, you'll catch a cold if you don't dry off, and I don't want Paris to deal with a sick kitty." Marinette pretended to harrumph.

"It's still nice." The towel muffled Chat's voice slightly.

"Hush." Marinette's face burned slightly.

When his head popped out from the blue folds, his head looked like a porcupine. He continued to towel off as best he could, but he was still drenched. Marinette saw him shiver in the slight breeze.

"You should probably head home so you can put on some dry cloths too."

His head shot up, eyes wide. "But we're not finished!"

"Well, guess you should have thought of that before diving headfirst into a bucket." She stood, hands on her hips.

"Pleeeease?" In that moment, he gave Manon a run for her money in the big eyes department. The perfect image of a kicked puppy. Someone his size should not be able to do that!

Marinette sagged, "Fine, tomorrow."

Chat looked at her, eyes shining, "Really?

She nodded. "Sure. When you look at me like that, I don't really have a choice, do I?"

He pumped a fist in the air. "Yes!" Then he sneezed.

"But only tomorrow." She warned, pushing him to the edge of their balcony. "Now get out of here before you catch a cold."

"Wait, your towel-" He started to take it off his shoulders, but Marinette's pushing made it difficult.

"Give it back to me tomorrow. I don't want you catching a cold on the way home either."

"Okay okay." He saluted her. "Until tomorrow Princess." And he bounded onto the neighboring building, then the next, until she couldn't see him anymore.

"Until tomorrow alley cat." She said as he bounded away.

When she turned around, she realized just how dirty her balcony had gotten. On one side, the half-finished replanting sat in neat rows, free from damage, but the other was a minefield of soil and puddles. The worst of it sat around the bucket Chat had dunked his head in. Somebody had to clean all this up. "Chat, you are going to pay for this," she grumbled. Chat was going to get an earful tomorrow. She smiled, but her mind drifted to the far away look in Chat's eyes when he talked about his family as she cleaned, and worry crept in.

. . . . . . .

As always, **BRING ON THE FLAMES**! Sorry this update took so long. I was in a dark place, but now I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I want to know what youy think, the good and the bad. Did I forget a period or misspell something? Anything makes my day. There is going to be more to this story, I promise, but my updates might be a little erratic. This story is going to be a bit more of a slow burn, so get ready for some fluff, friendship, and tears along the way. I hope you enjoyed it!


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